Nearby homeowners for one year have fought to kill Rogers Group Inc.'s plan to develop a 524-acre limestone quarry on land owned by Larry and Henry Bosma at 8032 Old Indiana 25 N.

The land is bounded by Old Indiana 25 on the east and the Wabash River on the west. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources in January issued Rogers Group a certificate of approval for construction in the flood plain.

Knochel and Murtaugh on Monday took a second and final vote authorizing the ordinance that prohibits new quarry operations when 100 residences are located within a 2-mile radius.

Commissioner David Byers was not in attendance, but supported the ordinance when it won initial approval on a 3-0 vote June 16.

About 80 quarry opponents filled the commissioners' meeting room. Chairs were placed in the office building foyer to accommodate the overflow crowd.

The property owners methodically presented information regarding potential health hazards from quarry dust and the potential release of radon from the limestone bedrock.

Merrell Cree researched the negative impact of quarries on residential property values in other areas of the nation. He said the average drop in value was 27 percent.

"The increase in property taxes from Rogers Group would be all but wiped out," Cree said. "It is not fair that one company can decrease home values by that amount."

Pumping water out of the bedrock could lower the water table and impact area residential wells, Purdue University geology expert Terry West said.

State Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Buck Creek, said he believed Rogers Group is a good company, but that the quarry presented the potential to create problems.

"The state permits reflect review in relative narrow areas," Hershman said. "It does not reflect the growth in the community and what you want Tippecanoe County to look like in the future."

Quarry site co-owner Henry Bosma said the ordinance was anti-competition, and would severely limit, if not eliminate, where quarries could be operated in the county.

Andy Williams, Rogers Group vice president, echoed that sentiment.

"We recommend you do not pass this ordinance when you consider the costs in economic development and growth," Williams said.

Murtaugh said he voted for the ordinance because the quarry is a bad fit for the area, and because of concerns about property values.

Knochel, who has farmed and operated a grain elevator business in nearby Buck Creek, said he was concerned about the overall impact of the quarry.

"The devastation this was going to bring was much more than I can support," he said.

The fight is not over

Rogers Group on Thursday refiled a modified application for the quarry operation with the Tippecanoe County Board of Zoning Appeals. The modifications were based on community comments, the company said.

Proposed operating hours were reduced, neighbors would be compensated for substantial impairment to a ground water well, all trucks would be tarped to reduce dust and fencing would be added around the processing area, Rogers Group said.

The new request could be heard at the Aug. 27 BZA meeting, according to the APC website.

Nate Hofmann, a spokesman for quarry opponents, said residents will continue to research the facts about quarry operations, and refine their presentation to the specific topics the board of zoning appeals is allowed to consider.

BZA members can evaluate only requests for special exception based on criteria such as whether the use is authorized under county law, and whether the property use will injure other property because of traffic generation, placement of outdoor lighting, noise production or hours of operation, according to the APC website.

Criteria for a variance include whether adjacent property will be affected in a substantially adverse manner, and whether the variance will be injurious to public health, safety and general welfare of the community.

If approved by the BZA, the quarry operation could be headed for a court battle to resolve whether the ordinance enacted by the commissioners or the zoning approval would take priority.